What does it look like when philanthropy creates strong partnerships? When it moves towards true collaboration? Our sector grapples with these questions constantly. We know to maximize our impact, we have to get out of our silos and work together. We know that partnering with community and nonprofit leaders isn’t just equitable, it is the most effective way to seed change. And we know that we can’t do this alone. Yet creating sustaining, transparent and equitable partnerships is hard, and often thankless, work.

That’s why I’m so excited to see us celebrate cross-sector, multi-issue, and/or community driven partnerships at our conference in Boise Idaho, Oct 2-4. At the conference, Listen. Partner. Lead. Philanthropy Leans In, we want to hear your stories of partnerships. And they don’t have to just be stories of success! We have so much to learn from each other’s humility and honesty, too. When have we tried to partner and it just hasn’t worked? What can we learn from these scenarios, and how do we integrate that learning? We are still accepting proposals from Philanthropy Northwest members through our Request for Proposals, which we've extended until May 11.

None of us have the answers on our own, which is why I’m grateful for the space we’ll have in Boise for peer learning and connecting across the region. have a lot to learn from Boise, where philanthropy is at the heart of public-private partnerships. Be it through education, arts, or affordable housing, Boise's community and private foundations work alongside the city and local nonprofits to create a more welcoming, innovative and healthy city for all of its residents.